Council Conclusions on the EU Drugs Strategy 2013-2020

The Council conclusions on the new EU Drugs Strategy lay out the state of play of the drug use and its implications in the EU:
 heroin use is the biggest drug problem,
 cannabis is the most commonly illicit drug used in the EU, followed by cocaine,
 worrying developments are happening in the synthetic drugs market,
 there is an increase in poly-drug use,
 new psychoactive substances are rapidly spreading,
 strong inequalities remain in terms of quality, accessibility and coverage of drug-related interventions,
 given the above, the health and safety of EU citizens is at risk.

Based on the current situation, the Council supports the setting up of a new EU drugs strategy covering the period 2013-2020. The revived plan of action should focus on five areas:
 coordination
 demand and supply reduction
 international cooperation and research
 information and evaluation

The new strategy insists on the need to provide adequate resources to the implementation of clearly defined strategic objectives. Consequently, improving internal EU coordination should be a priority in the development of the next strategy as well as continuing collaboration with key international partners.

Background information

In December 2004, the European Union adopted the EU Drugs Strategy covering the period 2005-2012. Besides complementing national strategies in the area, the Strategy aimed at achieving a high level of health protection, wellbeing and social cohesion as well as ensuring a high level of security for the general public. Focusing on the reduction of drug demand and supply, the Strategy envisaged actions in the area of related crime, production and cross-border trafficking.

The EU Drugs Action Plans were adopted for the periods 2005-2008 and 2009-2012 to detail the implementation of the Strategy.

 Evaluation of the EU Drugs Strategy 2005-2012 ___________________

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